In Like a Lion
by Ellie Biel
Summary: Because, honestly, neither Gwendal nor Konrad would have been stuck here in this dusty old trunk with him. This sort of thing could only happen with Wolfram. WolframYuuri


It wasn't just that they looked nothing alike; Yuuri couldn't imagine three brothers whose personalities were any more different - so different they seemed to come from different planets, never mind their parentage.

Ok, Yuuri supposed that he _could_ see how Wolfram and Gwendal could both be a little on the bloodthirsty side, and all three of them had a stubborn streak a mile long, but there was just nothing there that shouted out to him "we're related."

Because, honestly, neither Gwendal nor Konrad would have been stuck here in this dusty old trunk with him. This sort of thing could only happen with Wolfram.

It wasn't his fault that he'd just wanted to check out the treasure room, to see if there was anything that actually looked, to his eyes anyway, like a treasure. It could be considered his duty as king to be more familiar with such well guarded objects, even if many of them looked like they belonged more at a second hand shop.

It wasn't his fault he'd gotten himself engaged to someone who was possessive and hot tempered and who never let Yuuri have a moment alone except when he was sound asleep. Which, even considering how late and how soundly he slept, still wasn't enough for Yuuri.

There had to be a punch line somewhere that the harder he tried to put distance between himself and his alleged fiancé, the more time he ended up spending with him. He wished he had a wristwatch, one that glowed in the dark, because he couldn't tell how long they'd been stuck in here. It felt like hours.

And he was getting hungry. It was Wolfram's fault he was missing lunch.

His normally cheerful temperament was beginning to strain. He'd never thought he was the claustrophobic type, but he'd never been in such a closed in space before. The lid wasn't fitted tightly; there was enough of a gap that they weren't deprived of air, but his muscles were cramping. He stretched out his leg and felt guiltily satisfied when he heard Wolfram grunt.

"Stop kicking me."

"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose," Yuuri protested. "I don't have a lot of room to move around in here." He could hear the whine in his voice but it was just Wolfram and he had nothing to lose.

"Wimp."

Case in point. Being right did nothing to improve his temper, however, and he put both hands to his stomach. "I could really go for a big bowl of stew right now. I wonder what they're having?"

"As if they'd start lunch without you," Wolfram said scornfully. "You just have to be patient and they'll come find us." Yuuri could hear him moving, and with the tiny bit of light in the trunk, he could see Wolfram cross his arms over his chest. That was right before he got poked in the hip.

"Wolfram!"

"Stop squirming." It was obvious Wolfram considered this all Yuuri's fault. "You know that's the side where I keep my sword."

"I can't help it." Yuuri wasn't even trying not to whine now. "There's no room in here."

"You're the one who wanted to go on this ridiculous treasure hunt. The entire room is filled with them; I don't know what you hoped to accomplish."

"Adventure? A break from studying? Maybe some _privacy?"_

Wolfram was silent for a moment, and then, "Well I hope you've learned that as the demon tribe's king, you aren't always going to get what you want." There was a trace of bitterness in his voice, and Yuuri felt his own ire receding.

"Aw, come on, Wolfram, you know I don't mind doing all that stuff." He wasn't lying _too_ much. It was boring and tedious and he disliked it intensely, but he knew that right now he was getting off easy. Not just because Gwendal and Günter did so much of his work for him while he was away (and he knew they did a good portion when he was in Shin Makoku too), but because when it came to what he really _did_ want, he never lacked for support in making it happen.

It was just that those sorts of battles seemed almost easy compared to going anywhere without his shadow. Yuuri sighed.

"I told you not to touch it."

"You could have told me _why_ you know," Yuuri retorted weakly. "Besides, I didn't touch it on purpose." Wolfram had been right behind him when he'd reached toward the silver goblet on the shelf, and Yuuri had whirled around quickly when he'd realized that Wolfram's voice was right in his ear. He'd not meant to grab the nearest thing when his knee hit the back of the trunk and he fell, especially since the nearest thing had turned out to be the front of Wolfram's jacket, but what was done was done.

Why anyone had draped tapestries over an open trunk was beyond him, but he wouldn't have been surprised if the trunk was recording every thought he'd ever had, awake or asleep, while he was in here.

That thought made him shift uncomfortably, only to have his leg grabbed before his foot hit the side of the trunk.

"Useless," Wolfram muttered. "Don't move."

He didn't exactly have a choice, because in short succession, Wolfram's knee came dangerously close to his groin, he was whacked in the ankle with what he assumed was Wolfram's sword, and splayed fingers were smashed into his face before he felt his shoulders moved roughly.

Yuuri banged his head on the lid of the trunk. "Ow, Wolfram!"

"I'm tired of having your feet in my face," came the rather satisfied reply, and Yuuri sucked in a breath as he felt Wolfram's sword again, this time right at his side, because he was now sitting right between Wolfram's legs. He could feel Wolfram's breath in his ear and unlike when he'd reached for the goblet, there was no escape from it in the closed confines of the trunk.

He was trying very hard not to think about the way Wolfram's arm was draped not so casually over his chest.

"Did you hear that?" Yuuri sat up, straining against the arm that was imprisoning him. He wanted so desperately for Konrad, or Gwendal, or even Günter, to come looking for them that any sound was welcome. He could feel Wolfram move behind him and could picture him cocking an ear to listen.

"Sounds too small to be anyone," Wolfram said. "A cat, maybe."

"A cat? Maybe there's a key or a magic button she can press for us. Here kitty kitty kitty," he called. "Good kitty, come here kitty..."

In the dark he couldn't see Wolfram rolling his eyes.

"Kitty kitty, come here puss," Yuuri made some kissing noises, followed by a couple of pathetic attempts at mewing.

Wolfram snorted. "It's obvious you don't listen to me. For the last time, it's 'meh meh'. Keep making that racket and you're sure to attract attention when they come to attack the trunk containing the beast who devoured the king's soul."

"What are you _talking_ about?" Yuuri blinked. Ok, it was true that Wolfram had told him once before - _once_ - not to meow, even if it had been far too late to do any good and he hadn't quite understood why it had freaked out those pirates, but wasn't attracting attention in this case the whole point?

And that soul devouring bit had to be an exaggeration.

All the same, Yuuri sat back down, far too aware of Wolfram's legs on either side of his own, and he tucked his hands under his armpits lest he grab one of Wolfram's hands for reassurance.

Not that he needed it or anything. He wasn't a scaredy cat no matter what Wolfram thought.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed. His legs had been cramped for a while now and his shoulders were aching from being hunched over the way they were. Every time he relaxed his posture a little, his feet would turn outwards, his toes would hit Wolfram's boots, and he'd draw his knees up to his chest, only to find that far more uncomfortable.

He almost wished he had a piece of chalk so he could mark off the number of minutes they'd been stuck in here. If there were sixty minutes in an hour, then surely he'd have at least a hundred, maybe two hundred, tick marks to make inside the trunk.

Of course with his luck, he'd probably accidentally trigger some sort of magic anti-theft spell.

It wasn't until he heard the tapping that he realized he'd dozed off, and from the sound of the snoring right behind him, he wasn't the only one.

"Your Majesty?"

"Konrad!" Yuuri yelled. "We're in here!" He began banging on the lid of the trunk, jabbing Wolfram in the stomach with his elbows. He didn't even mind when Wolfram grabbed his arms and pinned them behind him, because by then he could hear the footsteps approaching them. The little bit of light that was coming through the gap in the trunk was blocked and it took him a while to realize he was looking at Günter's eyes, squinting back at him through the opening.

"It is I, your loyal servant! What must we do to open this infernal devil box?" He must have turned away to ask the question, because the light was back, seeming brighter than before. Yuuri blinked a few times and pressed closer to the gap.

"Your Majesty?" It was Günter again, sounding distraught.

"Yeah, Günter, I'm here." Of course they knew he was in there, but he wasn't sure what else to say.

"It appears that only one with the power to lock and unlock this trunk is the demon king."

"I hate to break it to you, Günter, but I've been trying to open it for hours." Yuuri ignored the snort that came from behind him.

"You have to trip the lock," Konrad explained gently.

"Great!" said Yuuri. "So where is it?"

He would swear he could feel Wolfram's stare. "Guys? Konrad? Günter? Where's the lock?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he realized just what the problem was and he answered his own question. "On the outside," he said weakly.

There was a shuffle of activity, and a long moan of disappointment. He could barely make out Gwendal's voice. "I told you it wouldn't work."

"But as Lady Anissina said, a kiss of true love should break any spell," Günter lamented.

It was growing awfully warm in the trunk, Yuuri realized, and he wasn't prepared for the vehement outburst behind him. "Yuuri is _my_ fiance," Wolfram yelled, "and if there is any kissing going on-"

Yuuri slapped his hand across Wolfram's lips before that thought went any further. "It's not going to work anyway," he ground out. "So unless you have an idea on how to get me outside the box while locked inside the box..." He let his hand drop and turned to flop against Wolfram.

"I'm starving," he said sullenly.

Wolfram took several deep breaths to calm himself. He hated to admit it, but Yuuri was right. The problem was, there just wasn't enough room for Yuuri to slip his hand through the opening in order to reach the trigger mechanism. If only they could get Yuuri to summon the maou, he might at least be able to use his control of the water as an extension of himself, and if it was his own maryoku, then it shouldn't matter whether it was flesh or element that came into physical contact, as long as it was Yuuri.

He bit his lip. Water would fit through the opening, true, but so would smoke, and where there was smoke...

If it didn't work he hoped Yuuri never figured out what he was trying to do. He'd rather Yuuri draw his own, undoubtedly wrong, conclusions than for him to realize Wolfram's failure. "Shut up," he said. "Just shut up for a minute."

He closed his eyes and pressed his forehead between Yuuri's shoulder blades. Wolfram's fingers trailed down Yuuri's arm and it wasn't until he'd managed to lace their fingers together that he began a muttered incantation. He'd never tried something like this before and had no idea if it would work.

As he summoned the fire, he prayed Yuuri wasn't stupid enough to fight him.

A flicker of orange appeared, and then blue, as threads of flame unfurled from their fingertips and danced around each other before weaving into a single stream. It crept along the inside of the trunk, illuminating the interior as it made its way to the opening.

"Lower," a voice from outside the trunk spoke, and Wolfram nodded against Yuuri's back as he urged the flame to keep going. When he heard "right there," he stopped and focused as hard as he could on Yuuri.

He'd been holding his breath for so long he hadn't known whether it worked or not until Yuuri yanked his hand free and stood up. When Wolfram opened his eyes and inhaled, the air of the treasure room felt as clean and fresh as the outdoors. Colors swam in front of his eyes and he blinked up at Yuuri, who was now standing outside the trunk and extending a hand to help him up. Dumbfounded, Wolfram slipped his hand into Yuuri's and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

Not that he couldn't have managed on his own, even if the wimp's weight had put his legs to sleep.

"How much longer until supper?" Yuuri asked, stretching his arms overhead and arching his back. "I'm starved!"

Konrad chuckled. "Not for some time, Your Majesty. We'll be eating lunch in an hour."

Yuuri blinked in astonishment. "How long were we gone?"

Two conflicting answers were given, a "not very" from Konrad and quite the opposite from Günter, for whom any length of time away from Yuuri's side seemed an eternity. Yuuri laughed nervously, and then looked over at Wolfram whose thoughts couldn't have been clearer than if he'd spoken them aloud.

It wasn't anything Yuuri hadn't heard before.

"Well, then," Yuuri pressed, "if we weren't gone that long, how did you know we were missing? How did you find us? Were you looking for something in the treasure room? Did Lady Celi borrow something again?"

This time it was Gwendal who answered, and Yuuri realized that the eldest brother was standing there with a cat in his arms. The animal was butting its head against Gwendal's chin and Yuuri would swear it winked at him.

"I was looking for the cat."

He turned on his heel and left, his coat billowing out behind him, and then Yuuri lost sight of him because he found himself lost in an exuberant embrace from Günter.

He'd have to remember to thank Konrad later for suggesting that perhaps Wolfram, who by then was making his near strangulation worse by pulling Günter with all his might, might want to accompany Yuuri for a walk outside so they could both get some fresh air before the midday meal.

Walking with Wolfram was far more preferable to being smothered by him, although there were times it seemed there was little difference between the two.

As the two of them followed Konrad and Günter down the hall, Yuuri felt his lips split into a wide grin. He looked over at Wolfram and nudged him with his elbow. Wolfram turned and looked at him, and it was clear from his expression he was still riled over Günter's enthusiastic hugging.

"Hey Wolfram." Yuuri leaned close enough so that only Wolfram could hear. "Meh," he said. _"Meeeeehhhh."_ He looked straight ahead and try as he might, could not keep from smiling. He'd been right, after all.

Good kitty.


End file.
